


Jumping In

by peachykeen_jb



Category: The Simpsons
Genre: Angst and Romance, Becomes AU, F/M, Why Did I Write This?, i just think they're neat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachykeen_jb/pseuds/peachykeen_jb
Summary: Seymour is still avoiding commitment but Edna has some news to share that may change that.
Relationships: Edna Krabappel/Seymour Skinner
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the conversation between Krabappel and Skinner in episode 10x19, when they’re in the hardware store. There’s a seemingly throwaway line there, and it seemed like a potential story ark that was completely dropped. This AU takes place a little after that conversation, after they’re engaged but before My Big Fat Geek Wedding.

Edna stared at the kitchen timer above the oven in her apartment, waiting impatiently for the lasagna to finish. And it wasn’t a Stouffer's frozen lasagna for once, this was the real deal. She pushed away from the counter top she was leaning against and moved to check inside the oven. The lasagna didn’t look like the picture in the magazine. Edna swore under her breath. She followed the recipe exactly but the cheese on top looked brown and black instead of a warm golden color. She grabbed an oven mitt and pulled the tray out of the oven, coughing at the smoke that emitted from the burnt pasta. She set the tray on the cold stove-top and leaned against the sink, wiping her brow. 

She left work right after the students in order to get this dinner ready. Normally she and Seymour drove together if they had plans to spend the night with each other, but she’d sent him a note earlier in the day that she was leaving early to start dinner. He was supposed to arrive at her place greeted by a heaping plate of warm pasta, cheese, and homemade sauce. How could they have a mature conversation about their future if she couldn’t even cook an edible meal? 

There was a tell-tale click of a key in a lock, followed by the front door opening and Seymour calling out to her to let her know he’d let himself in. Edna flinched, wishing she had more time to cover this up. She slipped off the oven mitt and turned to face her fiance.

“Hello Edna,” he said, stepping toward her and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. His voice sounded tired. Maybe it was stress at work; she’d sent Bart Simpson to his office today, which usually led to a headache. 

“Rough day?” she asked.

“You could say that,” he said, taking off his suit jacket and slumping into one of her kitchen chairs, “The Simpson boy weaseled his way out of his punishment by bribing Willie, and then Superintendent Chalmers came by in the afternoon to give me a stern talking to about the budget.”

“Oh god, let me guess, we’re facing more cuts aren’t we?” Edna scoffed, “Chalmers is out of his mind if he thinks we can stretch the budget any further. We’re already using donated textbooks from 1953!” 

“I’ve told him as much, but he doesn’t seem to care…”

They both remained quiet for a moment, stewing over the state of the public education system, before Seymour glanced up again. 

“Something smells good,” he ventured, but she could tell by the way he wrinkled his nose that he was just trying to be nice.

“It was supposed to be lasagna, but something went wrong,” Edna sighed, “We can eat the salad though and then I’ll order a pizza.”

“That’s fine by me. Mother never wants to order pizza on weeknights.”

Edna rolled her eyes and turned to get the two salad plates out of the fridge. She set them down on her kitchen table and sat across from Seymour, studying him as she went. He looked tired but his eyes were focused and his posture was as straight as ever. Her heart softened as he smiled genuinely at her. She took a deep breath and said, 

“Seymour, there’s something I want to say to you.”

His expression changed instantly at that, panic flashing in his eyes. These types of conversations never went well. 

“Is something bothering you?”

“Not at the moment, but there’s something we need to discuss,” she said, trying to sound casual, “Remember a little while ago, I told you I was interested in having children?”

“Yes, I remember. We were in the pool supply aisle and we both agreed we wanted kids in the future,” he said, frowning in confusion. 

“Well, what if that future was now?”

“Oh Edna, now is not the right time.”

She narrowed her eyes, “That’s exactly what you said last time. It could be the right time if-”

“My feelings remain the same,” he said, holding up a hand, “I don’t want to jump into anything on a whim.”

“But don’t you want to have a baby with me?” she asked, feeling hot tears start to fill her eyes, “You said that you didn’t mind the idea of having a kid or two. What are we waiting for?” 

“For one, we’re not even married yet-”

“Oh Seymour please, it’s not the 1940s! I’m not getting any younger and neither are you.”

“I see your point, but why don’t we focus on one thing at a time? We’ve already agreed to get married, so let’s do that first, then we can talk about it again.”

“Fine,” Edha crossed her arms and stared him down, “Let’s finally pick a date for the wedding. Right now.”

Seymour paled, “Whoa there, let’s not rush into things without thinking…”

“We’re not rushing into anything! Let me get this straight- you're not ready to get married, you don't want to have a baby with me,” she said, counting off on her fingers, “Why are we even in a relationship?”

He had the gall to look truly hurt by her remark, “Because I love you!”

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way,” Edna replied, shaking her head, “A lot of the time it feels like you put everyone and everything before our relationship. Your mother. The school. Money. Do you know how much it hurts me every time you shoot down an idea for our wedding because it’s too expensive?” 

“I’m sorry Edna, I didn’t know you felt so strongly about it. Of course I care about our relationship, but things are going well right now, why rush into anything else? What’s wrong with a long engagement?”

“I don’t want to wait anymore, I want to officially start our lives together, Seymour! You need to figure out what you want. I love you but I'm turning 40 this year and I won't waste the last years of my prime with someone who doesn't really want to be with me.”

Seymour clamped his mouth shut, unsure of what to say to that. Edna shook her head and sighed, trying to blink the tears out of her eyes. She stood and pointed toward the door of her apartment. 

“Please leave. I don’t want to look at you right now.”

Seymour hung his head sadly but he didn’t argue. He picked up his suit jacket and slowly walked toward the door. Edna refused to look at him as he shut the door, knowing that he’d give her the sad puppy dog face that usually made her forgive him instantly. 

She wouldn’t be so quick to forgive this time. They’d started arguing before she’d even had the chance to tell him what she really needed to. Edna didn’t want to keep it a secret, but she was too furious to share the news with him for the foreseeable future. After all, it was a long term secret. She still had a little less than nine months to tell him. 

***

A few weeks later, Seymour Skinner was on his way back to his office after berating Willie for leaving the tool shed open and allowing the children to commandeer the lawn mower during recess. He opened the office door and found Bart Simpson standing on his office chair and rifling through his filing cabinet. 

“What is the meaning of this!”

Bart jumped and looked over at the angry principal in the doorway. 

“Sorry Skinrash, I thought you might be out sick today, so I was just looking for a certificate I misplaced.”

Seymour marched over to Bart and picked him up, placing him in front of his desk. “I don’t know what prank you need a certificate for, young man, but it won’t be happening today. And why would you think I was sick? I’m never sick.” 

Bart glared at him and crossed his little arms. 

“Mrs. K. has had some kind of stomach bug for the past couple weeks. She keeps leaving class in the morning to upchuck in the girls bathroom. Terri caught her last week. I just assumed you had the same thing, since you’re a couple and all.”

“She’s been sick?”

Bart raised his eyebrows, “You didn’t know?”

“We haven’t had a lot of time to see each other recently,” Seymour said, looking down and fiddling with a paper on his desk. 

“Well that explains why I saw her crying in her car after school yesterday. Now that I think about it, Mrs. K. has been upset a lot recently. If you’re the cause of it, you better fix it man! She could do a lot better than a wiener like you, you know.” 

It was rare for Bart to stick up for his teacher, but not totally unheard of. It usually only happened when they were on the same side against Skinner, for whatever reason. If the child delinquent was giving him relationship advice, Seymour knew things must be really bad. 

“I’m afraid you’re right, Simpson. I think I really messed up this time.”

“If I were you, I’d go beg for her forgiveness. It always seems to work when my Dad screws up, which happens a lot. But he’s always back on Mom’s good side by the next day!” 

“Yes, it’s worth a shot,” Seymour rubbed his chin, already thinking about how he could apologize to Edna, “Now get out of my office Bart, and don’t let me catch you snooping in here again!”

“No promises!” Bart shouted over his shoulder as he ran out the door. 

Now that he had some peace and quiet, Seymour leaned back in his chair to think about where his relationship had gone off the rails. He thought back to their last argument. Edna was angry with him for not committing and for not wanting to have a baby with her. But both things were the opposite of the truth! The truth was, he was just scared. He’d never been in love with anyone before Edna, and sometimes the strength of his feelings scared him. He had no model for what a marriage should look like and he was terrified he’d mess it up and she’d leave him. But now it looked like he was going to lose her anyway if he didn’t at least try. 

Suddenly he was back in her apartment for a moment, looking at her from across the kitchen table. Her crestfallen face blazed in his memory and his chest tightened as he remembered the tears in her eyes and the sound of her heartbroken voice. Seymour knew it wasn’t real but it still broke his heart to re-live the pain of their last fight. He was no stranger to handling flashbacks thanks to the war though. He controlled his breathing until his office returned and he was back in the present.

He knew he had to talk to her right away. Seymour quickly collected his things and rushed to his car. The first thing he was going to do was drive to Edna’s and beg for her forgiveness. Actually maybe he should stop by the store first and pick up some ginger ale and medicine, since she was feeling ill. He was about to turn down the road toward the Kwik-E-Mart when a new thought hit him like a truck. Something the Simpson boy said was finally ringing a bell and suddenly the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and the whole picture was there. They argued about having a baby, and now she was getting sick and crying all the time. 

Oh dear lord.... He was such a buffoon! 

***

Edna was reading on her couch when she was startled by several loud knocks on the front door. She opened the door to find Seymour standing in the entryway, his tie loose and his hands full of bags from the Kwik-E-Mart. She stepped back as he pushed his way inside and dropped the bags by the door. 

“Edna, I’m sorry! I’ve been acting like a fool, I realize that now, and I don’t want to lose you.” 

He stepped towards her and took her in his arms, kissing her on the lips passionately. Unable to help herself, she moaned and kissed him back, allowing her hands to embrace him and run through his hair. She let herself give in to the wonderful feeling of being kissed for another moment, before she pulled away and stepped out of their embrace. 

“Seymour, you can’t just burst into my apartment and kiss me, and think that makes everything okay between us!”

“I know that, I came over here to talk to you but I couldn’t help myself.”

Edna watched him as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. He looked so bashful, like a kicked puppy. She clucked her tongue and took his hand. She pulled him over to the couch and sat down next to him. She could tell that he wanted to reach out and take her hands because his eyes kept darting over towards her, but he kept his hands folded on his lap.

“Firstly, I want to apologize for my behavior. I’ve been avoiding some deep conversations about our relationship, but I realize now that we need to talk about them, even if I’m uncomfortable.”

“Yes we do,” Edna replied, taking pity on him and reaching for his hands. She gave them a squeeze and nodded for him to continue. 

“You know that I like plans and I like order, and I think it’s time that I admit that I’m afraid of change. I did well in the army because everything was planned and calculated, and there were always orders to follow. Sometimes I miss having that structure. I love being with you, but I’m afraid we’ll get off course and I was scared to mess up the good thing we had. But I’m done being a coward. I want to be with you and I’m ready to move forward, even if it means jumping into the unknown.”

“Oh Seymour, I’ve waited so long to hear you say that!” she exclaimed, leaning forward to kiss him. They kissed happily for another moment before Seymour pulled back. He looked at her carefully and brushed a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear. 

“There’s something else I wanted to talk about. Someone told me you were getting sick at school… are you okay?”

Edna could tell by his tone that he’d already figured it out. She felt guilty that she was so nervous to talk about this with him, but her fear that he would leave her was keeping her mute. She was so worried that his fear of commitment would win out in the end, even though he claimed he was ready to take a leap forward. They stared at each other in silence for a moment, each waiting for the other person to say what they both already knew. 

“I’m okay…” she admitted, trying to ignore the feeling of her heart racing rapidly in her chest, “In fact, I’m better than okay. Seymour, I’m pregnant.” 

“I suspected as much,” Seymour said, nodding, “But why didn’t you tell me when you found out? What were you going to do, not say anything until I asked if you ate one too many chocolate puddings from the cafeteria?” 

Edna rolled her eyes, “No, I just didn’t want to share the news while we were fighting. It’s supposed to be a happy occasion.” 

“You’re right,” he agreed, a grin finally spreading across his face, “And I am happy. A little shocked, but happy.”

“Really?”

“Of course! I know I sounded pessimistic when we discussed it last time, but I like the idea of having a child with you, Edna. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous but there’s no one I’d rather co-parent with than you.”

A huge smile broke out across her face as he finally confirmed that he was happy to start a family with her. She leaned forward to kiss him again and he pulled her flush against his body. It felt so good to finally be on the same page. It also felt good to have his hands rubbing her back and squeezing her waist again. Three weeks suddenly felt like a long time to be apart. Too soon for Edna’s liking, she felt Seymour pull back again. 

“We do have some logistics to figure out though.”

“Way to ruin the mood,” she grumbled, pulling back a little but allowing his arms to remain around her waist. 

“It’s not going to look good. An unmarried pregnant teacher could be considered a bad example-”

“I know you’re not placing the blame solely on me for this,” Edna cut in, raising one brow dangerously.

“No, of course not! I’m just saying that everyone will know I’m the father, and since we know the town didn’t love the idea of a principal and teacher casually canoodling-”

“Get to the point Seymour, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying... Edna will you marry me?”

“You’ve already asked me that and I already said yes!”

“You didn’t let me finish. Edna, will you do me the honor of marrying me next Sunday?”

Happy tears sprang to Edna’s eyes as she covered her mouth in shock. She nodded quickly and pulled him into a tight hug. 

“I’d love to marry you on Sunday!”

“Good, because I’ve already started making the arrangements,” he said sheepishly. 

“I’ve got to say, all this spontaneity is quite the turn on,” she said, batting her eyes, “We can plan more tomorrow, now take me to bed.”

Without hesitating, Seymour bent over and scooped her off the couch. Edna giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling up at him. He grinned back at her as he carried her to the bedroom. 

“Might as well practice the bridal carry now!”

***

Some time later, the satisfied couple was lying in bed. Seymour has his arms around Edna, who was cuddled up to his side, her head resting on his shoulder and one arm draped across his chest. She felt more content than she had in ages. At one point during their lovemaking, he’d moved from kissing her neck down to her stomach and gently kissed the skin next to her bellybutton. She wasn't showing yet but her heart had warmed at the gesture. She felt more secure with the knowledge that he wanted to start a family with her now. 

She lightly traced the scar on his shoulder, a reminder of the trials he’d faced as a young man that still affected him today. Seymour took note and glanced over at her.

“I know I’m a little worse for wear. I hope I can still coach his or her sports team someday, I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“I think you’d be great at it,” she told him, smiling at the thought.

“Even if I’m the oldest parent there? You think we can keep up?”

Edna shrugged, “It just means we have more life experience to share. Besides, you’re 45, that’s not that old. I’ve met older parents before.”

“I know we’re licensed educators, but do you think we have what it takes to be good parents?”

“I think we’ll be pretty good if we have the shared goal of making sure our kid doesn’t turn out like Bart Simpson,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

“Actually, you just reminded me that I need to thank that boy. He was the one who told me you were getting sick at school. I’m sure I would have figured it out eventually, but he moved things along.”

“That’s sweet, in an odd way,” she conceded, “I guess we both still owe him a thank you. He may be a nuisance most days, but our relationship may have been over before it even really started if it wasn’t for him.”

“I suppose he has helped us out on a few occasions…” 

The couple was quiet for a moment, before Edna snuggled closer in Seymour's arms and whispered,

“Well... maybe it's okay if they turn out a little like Bart…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few more interludes based on the original one shot!

Four days after their wedding, Edna brought Seymour along to her doctor’s appointment. It was her second visit, the first being a short checkup to confirm her pregnancy-related suspicions. This appointment was supposed to be a lot more exciting, because the couple would get to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. Dr. Hibbert had given her a clean bill of health and now they were waiting for the ultrasound technician to pull up an image of their future child. 

“I know we won’t find out for a few more weeks, but have you thought about what you want?” Edna asked, attempting to distract herself from the technician’s cold wand. Seymour squeezed her hand, smiling down at her from beside the exam table. 

“You mean a boy or girl? I’d be happy with either. My only concern is that they’re happy and healthy.”

“It could be both,” the ultrasound technician cut in, speaking up for the first time. The couple looked at her in confusion. Suddenly a warbly rhythm broke the silence and the sound of heartbeats filled the room. 

“Hear that? There’s two heartbeats on the monitor. Congratulations, you’re having twins.”

Edna’s eyes widened in shock and her hands flew to her mouth to cover her gasp of surprise. Then she let out a more vocal yelp of shock as Seymour promptly fainted next to her. The technician laughed and shook her head. 

“That happens more than you might think. I’ll get him some water.”

***

Near the end of her first trimester, Edna woke up one morning and was pleasantly surprised to find that she didn’t feel nauseous. With her eyes still closed, she cuddled further under the blankets. All of a sudden her peaceful morning was interrupted by the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. She’d become all too familiar with that noise, but she was surprised to find that it wasn’t coming from her. She finally opened her eyes and noticed that Seymour wasn’t in bed next to her. 

She got up and quietly padded to the bathroom, peeking inside to find her husband on his knees in front of the toilet. He glanced up at her when he heard the door creak open.

“Ah Edna, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said, his features pale. She knelt down next to him and gently rubbed his back. 

“Don’t worry about it. How many days have we been in this position, just reversed?” she laughed, running her hand in a calming circulation motion on his back, “Can I get you anything?”

“No, I think I’m feeling better,” he replied. They both stood, but she kept her arm around him in case he felt woozy. 

“What do you think it was?” she asked, “Food poisoning? I’ve felt fine since dinner last night…”

“Well if I’m being honest, I haven’t been feeling well for about a week. I thought I’d picked up a stomach bug from one of the children at school, but the nausea has stuck around a lot longer than 24 hours. Even certain smells have made me feel sick recently.”

As he was speaking, a realization dawned on Edna. Something she’d read in a parenting book popped into her head and she couldn’t help but smile. 

“I think I may know what it is,” she said, reaching up to smooth his mussed hair, “Have you ever heard the term ‘sympathetic pregnancy’?” 

“Oh great,” he groaned, closing his eyes in embarrassment, “Yes I’ve heard of it. You don’t think the symptoms will last the entire time do you?”

“What, you don’t think you can handle nine months of being uncomfortable?” Edna asked, arching one eyebrow, “How do you think I feel? You don’t even have to do the hard part at the end!” 

“You’re right. Of course you’re right,” Seymour answered quickly, trying to pacify his newly moody wife, “A few bouts of nausea and headaches are nothing compared to what you’re going through.”

“And don’t you forget it. Now come with me,” she said, taking his hand, “I still have some ginger tea in the kitchen. It’ll help your stomach.”

“Yes, dear.”

***

“I think we need to tell my mother.”

The couple was sitting at their kitchen table on a sunny Sunday morning. They had been working in companionable silence, Edna grading papers and Seymour working through the Sunday crossword puzzle, when he’d blurted out this sentiment. 

“Are you sure we can’t wait a little longer?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Seymour said, glancing pointedly at her middle, which was starting to noticeably pop at 6 months along, “I’ve made excuses the past few weeks about why you couldn’t join us for dinner and Mother’s starting to get suspicious. Plus you might run into her around town and then she’ll notice and be heartbroken that we didn’t tell her.” 

“Heartbroken isn’t the emotion that I imagine she’d be feeling in that scenario,” Edna replied, rolling her eyes, “Plus she’d probably just make a comment about how I’m letting myself get fat now that I’m married.”

“Now Edna, give her some credit. Ever since I moved out she’s been trying to be more pleasant. She wants to make sure we still make time to see her.”

“You mean she wants to make sure you still see her. All she cares about is keeping an eye on you- she could care less about me. If she thinks about me at all it’s probably only to make a critical comment.“ 

“I don’t think that’s true!” Seymour replied, offended. It never ceased to amaze Edna that he could be so oblivious to his mother’s constant stream of criticism and complaints, especially since half of them were about him. Talk about Stockholm Syndrome…

“Seymour,” she said carefully, “I actually know your mother quite well. We were in a book club together for years and I see her around town all the time, not to mention all the occasions the three of us have had dinner in the past. Believe me when I say that I know for a fact that she doesn’t like me.” 

“Sometimes it may seem like she’s criticizing, but she’s usually just trying to be helpful or offer advice-”

“We must have very different definitions of advice. Being called a ‘slut’ doesn’t exactly fall under ‘helpful guidance’ in my book.”

“Edna, language!” he replied, cringing at her colloquialism. 

“She’s never going to like me, Seymour. She’s always going to see me as the woman who stole her son.” 

“Well maybe that will change when she learns you’re carrying her grandchildren.”

“Oh please, your mother hates me and loves criticizing you. I’m sure this will do nothing but give her more fodder,“ she said, crossing her arms above her stomach. 

“Please Edna! I really do think this could be a turning point. She’s made comments in the past about wanting grandchildren.”

Seymour looked at his wife imploringly, giving her his best puppy dog eyes. Finally Edna sighed and shook her head. 

“Fine, but I’m doing this for you,” she said, “because I know she’s important to you.” 

“God knows why…” she added privately in her head.

***

The talk with Agnes went as well as they could have expected. 

On Friday evening, the elder Mrs. Skinner opened her front door to greet her son and the woman he married. Immediately she noticed that Seymour was standing directly in front Edna, who was peeking over his shoulder. 

“Hello Mother,” he said, giving her an awkward wave. 

“Well don’t just stand there hovering on the porch, come inside.”

“Mother… we have some news,” Seymour stammered, squeezing his wife’s hand, “Edna and I are expecting. Twins, actually. We’re thrilled and we hope you will be too.” 

Edna finally stepped out from behind Seymour and Agnes saw that she was noticeably pregnant, which meant this wasn’t recent news. She was quiet for a moment before she narrowed her eyes and said,

“Well, at least I get some grandchildren out of this unholy union. You better bring them over here often so I can make sure you’re not screwing them up.” 

“Of course, Mother.”

***

Spring was in the air and Springfield Elementary was buzzing with warm weather jitters. Ten minutes before the final bell rang at the end of the day, Edna raised her voice in an attempt to get her class’s attention. 

“Class! Pay attention for one more minute, please,” she said, exasperated as usual, “I have an announcement to make.” 

Eventually the class started to quiet down. Students reluctantly put away their phones and Nelson stopped giving Martin a wet willie. Edna cleared her throat and stood from her desk. 

“As you may have expected, I’ll be going on maternity leave soon,” she said, resting a hand on her prominent baby bump, “In two weeks you’ll be getting a long term substitute and I want to make sure that you’ll all be on your best behavior while I’m gone.”

Immediately the class erupted into cheers and chaos. 

“Awesome! Now we have a chance to get someone cool for the rest of the year!” exclaimed Bart.

“Maybe we’ll get one of those teachers who raps through the History lesson,” Milhouse added, “Or someone who doesn’t believe in homework!”

“Or maybe it’ll be someone fresh out of school who we can walk all over”, Bart said, chuckling evilly. 

Edna rolled her eyes and walked up to Bart’s desk. 

“Have you considered the possibility that the substitute will be less cool than me?”

The boy gulped and shook his head.

“I wouldn’t gloat if I were you,” Edna continued, smirking, “The substitute could be strict, a real no-nonsense type. You never know, the odds could go either way.”

With that, the final bell rang and the kids started filing out of the room, thinking about their teacher’s comment. Satisfied, Edna walked back to her desk and sat down heavily in her chair. As the room emptied, Bart approached her desk.

“I didn’t really mean what I said back there. It might be fun to have a sub for a while,” he said, fiddling with his hands, “but class won’t be the same without you.”

“Well you know what they say, ‘stick with the enemy you know’,” Edna said, giving the boy a wry smile. 

“That’s true, there’s no one I’d rather prank than you!” 

“Thank you Bart,” she sighed, “I suppose that’s a sweet thing to say.”

“Well anyways… I better get going. Have a good weekend, Edna!”

Edna rolled her eyes as he hopped towards the door, “It’s Mrs. S., Bart, I’ve told you a million times.”

“Still feels weird!”

***

The twins were born on a stormy summer night. After 11 hours of grueling labor, Edna was finally resting in her hospital bed with her son asleep in her arms. Seymour stood next to her, quietly rocking their daughter. 

“We did a pretty good job, huh? They’re pretty cute,” Edna said, gently stroking their son’s cheek with one finger. 

“They’re perfect,” her husband replied quietly. 

“We need to decide on names before they come back with the birth certificates.”

“I still like Emily for her, like we discussed yesterday.”

“Yesterday seems like years ago now,” Edna commented, “But yes I still like it too. Emily and.... Armin?”

“If you like it, then I like it,” he said, smiling at his wife, “They seem to work well together.”

“Then it’s settled. Welcome to the world Armin and Emily Skinner.”


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of laughter floated across the soccer field behind Springfield Elementary School. Half the town had gathered here for the fireworks. The scent of charcoal, bug spray and fresh cut grass mixed together to create the perfume of summer nights. Families were spread out on picnic blankets, chatting, eating and waiting for the show to start. Several tables had been set up along the perimeter of the field, topped with hot dogs, fried chicken, watermelon slices, and more varieties of potato salad and macaroni salad than could be counted. Fireflies flitted through the dusk air, their small glowing bodies illuminating the excited faces of children and adults alike.

The scene was fit for a postcard, but Seymour couldn’t appreciate the beauty. He hadn’t enjoyed the town’s Fourth of July celebration in years. Not since returning home from active military duty. 

He was currently sitting on the front steps of the school, away from the crowds. His chest felt tight and he struggled to keep his breathing steady. The sounds hadn’t even started yet but he was already tense, his whole body vibrating like a live wire. He was so focused on staring at the ground that he almost didn’t notice the shadow appear in front of him.

“There you are!” 

It was his wife’s voice. He glanced up and saw Edna looking down at him, her brow furrowed with concern. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, cringing at the thought that he was ruining their night, “I just needed a minute.”

She sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

“Please don’t apologize. We didn’t have to come, you know. If it’s too much for you we can go home right now. Fireworks are just a fire hazard as far as I’m concerned anyway.”

She rubbed his back, feeling how tense the muscles were. The term PTSD was never spoken out loud, but she knew he suffered from the illness. Back when they were dating, she’d asked him if he’d ever talked to someone about his flashbacks, but he’d quickly shut her down by claiming it wasn’t necessary. She never brought it up again, but she always kept an eye out for triggers during the day. At night, she’d grown accustomed to being woken by his thrashing and then holding him until he was back in the present. It didn’t happen all the time, but it was enough for her to worry about him. However she noticed that the instances had lessened in the year since their twins were born. He was in the present a lot more often these days. That was the only reason why she’d suggested coming to the Fourth of July picnic today in the first place. 

“I’m sorry I brought us here,” she said quietly, when he didn’t respond to her first comment, “I shouldn’t have suggested it. I knew it would be hard for you-”

“But that shouldn’t be a reason not to go to one of Springfield’s most popular events”, he cut in, “I don’t want the twins missing out on things just because I can’t handle it.”

“Seymour, they’re not even two. They won’t remember this anyway! We can start our own family tradition for the 4th. That will be a lot more important to them someday.” 

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” 

He went silent again and looked off into the distance. Edna wished she could offer him more help, but all she could really do was be there with him. She leaned over and brushed his hair back, giving him a soft kiss on the temple. He sighed. 

“I just wish I could associate the sounds with something other than what I saw when I was in the service. I want to celebrate with you and our family, not think about my time spent as a captured war prisoner,” he said, hanging his head in shame. 

“I know I’ll never understand what you went through back then, but you’re here now. And you managed to capture my heart, soldier. You can declare victory with me any time,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. She nudged his shoulder with hers to get him to look at her. 

“I can’t believe I did that either,” he replied, giving a small chuckle, “I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and she smiled. Wanting to stay close to him, she rested her head on his shoulder. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to leave?” she asked softly. 

“No, I want to stay. I want to focus on making new memories. Maybe the happy ones will eventually outweigh the old ones.”

Edna smiled at her brave husband. He was stubborn, and sometimes he ignored the problems that were right in front of him, but she knew that his family was the most important thing in the world to him. He would try anything for them. 

“Speaking of which, where are the twins?”

“Elizabeth is watching them. Are you ready to head back over?”

Seymour glanced down at his wife, enjoying their quiet moment and the feeling of her body tucked into his side. 

“In a moment. I want to finish making this memory first,” he replied, leaning in for another kiss. The couple embraced until the first firework went off, and this time Seymour didn’t flinch.

**Author's Note:**

> I blame this on watching too much OG Simpsons recently.


End file.
